‘Do it Jules’: Rob Gronkowski is all for a Julian Edelman comeback
Gronk tweeted at Edelman, suggesting the longtime receiver should make a comeback.
Julian Edelman tweeted a picture of himself at Patriots practice in Las Vegas Wednesday, saying he brought his cleats “just in case.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight-end Rob Gronkowski quote-tweeted Edelman’s post with a suggestion.
“Do it Jules!! Make a comeback!!” wrote Gronkowski.
Last week, Edelman told Rich Eisen that he would be willing to return to football under the right circumstances. The former Super Bowl MVP played 12 NFL seasons, all with the Patriots before being released in 2020 following a failed physical.
Now that his body has had some time to heal, Edelman says he misses football and could see himself making a playoff run down the stretch with a contender.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show that he communicates with Edelman regularly.
When asked about Edelman’s comments about a potential return, Belichick said ‘you’d have to ask Julian.’
In 2020, the final season before Edelman was cut, he was limited to six games. He totaled 21 catches for 315 yards. The year before, in 2019, Edelman played in all 16 games and had 1,117 receiving yards which was the most in his career.
Between the failed physical and the drop in production in 2020, it’s pretty clear that injuries took their toll.
“There would have to be a lot of things to happen for me to go out and really consider something like that,” Edelman said Tuesday on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. “It’s not just an ‘alright let’s put the cleats on and go to the grass and practice. There’s a whole leading up to an NFL football season especially when you’re at the age of 36 and you’ve missed a year and you haven’t been putting that compound load on your legs.”
Edelman says he’s feeling better than he has in a long time and he’s starting to get that itch to play again. The curiosity is there, he said, but he’s not sure if it’ll be enough to commit to a comeback.
“You never say never,” Edelman said. “But I’m excited for the opportunities on my plate right now. And if any of those situations ever come up, of course you’ve got to take a look at them.”
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